


Lather, Rinse, Repeat

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/M, Gen, what a bunch of a-holes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 10:44:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: Quentin Quire pisses off a drug lord, and is unceremoniously dumped on Pete Wisdom for safe keeping. Two deeply shitty people. One small flat.





	Lather, Rinse, Repeat

“You can’t just dump me here!” 

Kitty rolls the wheelchair into the flat and dusts her hands. “Watch me.” 

Quentin Quire glowers up at her menacingly. 

She sighs. “Quire. You have a price on your head from a very angry, very evil, very powerful Japanese drug lord. There is nowhere in the states I can hide you that she won’t find you. This is my best shot at keeping you alive.” 

“Pryde?” 

The man that emerges from the kitchen in his shirt sleeves is thin, and not very tall. He looks incredibly normal. 

“Him?” Quentin snaps. “Him?! He’s gonna protect me from Fumi?!” 

The man smirks. “Ooh, he pissed off Fumi, did he? She’s going to kill him.” 

“Not if she can’t find him,” Kitty says, smirking back at him. “You up for it?” 

“S’fine.” 

“Pete Wisdom, Quentin Quire.” 

Wisdom nods, and Quentin glowers. 

Pete turns back to Kitty. “Anything I should know?” 

“He’s a telepath,” Kitty tells him. “And a pain in the ass.” 

“I’m not JUST a telepath!” Quentin says. “I’m way more than-” 

“The grownups are talking, Pinkie Pie,” Wisdom snaps, before turning back to Kitty. “Telepath. Pain in the arse. What else?” 

“Eh. Not much.” She sighs heavily. “I have to get back.” She sets Quire’s duffel bag down. “Call if anything comes up.” 

“No problem,” Pete nods, walking her to the door. “See you later?” 

Quentin can hear Kitty smile and respond quietly, though he’s not sure with what, and there’s a kissing noise and he groans. “SERIOUSLY!? YOU’RE LEAVING ME WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND?!” 

He gets no response. Eventually Pryde leaves, and the door closes, and Wisdom comes back over. 

“Right, Sunbeam,” he says. “It’s a one-level flat. Kitchen’s through there,” he points. “Loo’s through there,” he points again. “You’re sleepin on the couch. You need anything...well. Go fuck yourself.” 

With that, he walks off back to the kitchen. 

Quentin shakes his head. “What the fuck.” 

 

***** 

 

Wisdom goes to work in the morning, he comes home at night. He has a couple of drinks. He goes to bed. He does it all again.

Quentin is bored. 

Quentin is so bored.

He’s been here two days and he wants to kill himself he’s so bored. 

Wisdom makes dinner the second night and sets a plate of frozen pizza in front of him. 

Quentin looks at him and tries it. He digs in, and enters Wisdom’s mind subtly, just watching him as he goes about his business, but he’s quickly shut out. 

Not subtle enough. 

“Oh, Quire,” Wisdom tells him. “You really don’t want to know.” 

 

***** 

 

His leg is healing okay. He checks the bandages and he watches TV while Wisdom is at work, and when Wisdom comes home extra late from work, he frowns. 

The man’s coat is torn and he has a black eye and a bloody nose.

“The hell happened to you?” 

He gets no response. The man goes to the kitchen and comes back with a glass and a bottle of Scotch. 

“Again?” Quentin complains. “All you did is go to work and get drunk. Don’t you have hobbies?” 

No response. 

“What’s wrong with you?” 

Wisdom turns on the TV, and there’s an old black and white movie playing. He quietly watches as he sips his drink.

Quentin shakes his head. “Why are you such a loser? And why won’t you talk to me?!” 

Still no answer. Just the sound of liquor being slurped down. 

“Gross.” 

Wisdom’s phone rings and he picks it up, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. “Wisdom. Yeah. Urgh. Yeah. Fine. No. Sod off, Braddock, I’ll see you in five.” 

He finishes his drink, gets up and leaves. 

Quentin nearly tears all of his hair out.

 

***** 

 

It’s two days before Wisdom comes back. 

Quentin has started to be able to walk with the help of some crutches, and he cleans the entire apartment. 

Wisdom steps in, stops, looks around, confused, and then looks at Quentin. 

“I was bored,” Quentin says. “And this place was gross. You’re welcome.” 

“You want a drink?” Wisdom asks. 

“No,” Quentin snaps. “Yeah.” 

Pete nods and gets the bottle and two glasses, pouring him some, and then some for himself. 

Quentin sips, and cringes. “Gah. How do you drink this stuff?” 

“Practice.” 

Eventually Wisdom goes to shower, and comes back. He makes them up some food, and turns on the television, and they sit there quietly. 

 

***** 

 

Wisdom sleeps in the back bedroom and Quentin is still awake, still drinking, probably drunk.

And he tries again. 

And Wisdom’s mind is open now, and Quentin can step right in and have a look. 

_ Shitty childhood. Not surprising.  _

_ Failed relationships. There’s a shocker.  _

_ Naked Kitty Pryde. Ugh. Yuck. _

_ Ooh. Ex-Black Ops. Interesting.  _

_ Interesting.  _

_ Inter...est...ing… _

_ Nope. _

_ Nope.  _

_ Too much blood. _

_ Nope. _

_ Too much death. So much murder all the murder what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck oh my god what the fuck- _

When Quentin opens his eyes, Wisdom is standing over him, looking annoyed. 

“Was there something confusing for you about ‘you don’t want to know’?” he asks.

Quentin scrambles away, his leg hindering him still. “Holy shit what’d you do to all those people?!” 

Pete rolls his eyes and goes back to bed. “Stay outta my head!” 

 

*****

 

Quentin wakes up to the smell of bacon and pancakes and frowns when Pete sets a plate in front of him. 

“Is this like…’sorry you found out I’m a terrible murderer breakfast?’” Quentin asks. “Or is this my last meal. Because I have to tell you, I have very specific preferences for a last meal if you’re going to-” 

“I worked for very bad people,” Wisdom interrupts him. “They used me. I let them. I don’t feel good about it. I don’t like telepaths pokin’ around in me head because they tend to run screaming into the night, and it’s irritating.” 

Quire stays quiet. 

“The last tosser what tried to poke around in there and use my memories against me is dead,” Wisdom tells him. “Filled the room with a gas that turned stress into pain, and then dove deep into my head, and I pulled out the worst memory I could, and he lost it so hard, that the gas killed him.” 

“That’s messed up.” 

“So is poking ‘round in someone else’s head without permission.” 

Quentin frowns. 

“Eat.” 

 

***** 

 

“You really love Kitty Pryde,” Quentin says that night as they’re having a drink and watching television once Pete is back from running errands. “Like a lot. Like it’s kind of pathetic.” 

He gets no answer. 

“I don’t see the appeal.” 

“Don’t like smart women, aye?” 

“I’m smarter than Pryde.” 

Wisdom snorts. “Course you are.” 

“I am!” 

He gets no response. 

 

***** 

 

He winds up on an MI-13 mission, and the entire team thinks he’s a jerk and a moron, and he’s not- he’s just- 

This is not how these things are supposed to go. 

They get back to the flat and Quentin slumps down on the couch, fiddling with the boot on his foot. “That sucked.” 

“Went well,” Wisdom responds. 

“It sucked,” Quentin repeats. 

Wisdom freezes then, putting up a hand and looking toward the window. “Company.” 

Quentin narrows his eyes. 

The window bursts in and there’s Fumi. 

“QUIRE!” she growls, hoping up a gun. 

“DOWN!” Wisdom bellows, and shoves at Quentin. 

They both wind up behind the couch, Pete holding her off with his hot knives (dumbest name). Quentin pulls his psionic guns and twirls them. 

“The fuck-” 

“NOT just a telepath,” Quentin growls. 

The fight doesn’t last too long, Eventually the authorities are called and Fumi is hauled off,the worse for ware. 

“A’right?” Wisdom asks. 

Quentin nods. 

“Good.” 

Pete rights the couch and dusts himself off. “Goin to bed.” 

“Hey Pete?” 

The older man turns to him. 

“Thanks. For not like- just letting me die or whatever.” 

Wisdom nods. “Won’t happen again.”

Quentin snorts. 

 

*****

 

It’s not Kitty who comes to get Quentin, but Logan. 

“Thanks, Wisdom.” 

“S’fine.” 

Logan nods to Quentin. “What do you say?” 

“It still smells funny in here,” Quentin responds as he hobbles for the door. 

Wisdom rolls his eyes. “Later, Logan.” 

“Kitty says she’s sorry she couldn’t make it to come get the kid,” Logan tells him before he can close the door on them. “She got caught up in some things at school. But she wanted to know if you would spend the weekend.” 

Quentin blinks. 

Wisdom takes a breath. “Well, I-” 

“Don’t be lame,” Quentin snaps. 

Wisdom blows out a breath. “Yeah, a’right. Lemme just- pack a bag.” 

He wanders off, and Logan looks to Quentin. 

“Stop looking at my tits, Logan,” Quentin snaps. 

Logan just grins. 

 

END


End file.
